Native Mimosas

Photo taken by Amanda Green in Midland County.

By Amanda Green, Permian Basin Master Gardener

I love walking through the garden center and looking at the beautiful Mimosas. With their pink feathering flowers, cute fern-like leaves, and appreciating how much sunlight falls through. But did you know these are a destructive invasive species? They reseed so readily they outcompete native plants, and do not offer much benefit to local pollinators. Quite a few states have already banned and restricted their use in landscapes.

This led me on a search for native varieties; I have never fallen in love with a plant so quickly before. Linda Harrington recently invited me to her native yard to see her Mimosa Borealis in full bloom. I had never seen that many native bees and small butterflies on one plant; I couldn’t wait for it to produce seed so I could grow and share these amazing plants.

These small trees only grow to about 5 feet tall. They can be shaped to a small tree or left wild and used as a shrub. They do have small cat claw thorns, so shouldn’t be placed by sidewalks and walkways. The blooms more than make up for the bite.

There are also other native varieties with other color blooms. I recently came across a   Mimosa aculeaticarpa (Catclaw Mimosa) while hiking at Watersong Wildspace, which had small white flowers. A beautiful small shrub also covered in pollinators.

Photo taken of Catclaw Mimosa at Watersong Wild Space by Amanda Green.

 If the thorns are scaring you away, do I have a treat for you! We also have a native groundcover, Mimosa strigillosa (Sunshine Mimosa), which grows low and spreads, creating a beautiful mat of pink flowers. This variety doesn’t have thorns, and the sensitive leaves fold up when touched. This makes it a fun plant to have in the garden.

Sunshine Mimosa growing wild in a lawn in Midland County. Photo taken by Amanda Green.

 Native Mimosa Borealis seed kits will be available at the Midland AgriLife Extension Office, 1 per person (2445 E. Hwy 80, Midland, TX 79701) on Monday, June 22, 2026 – while supplies last.

If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 432-498-4071 or in Midland at 432-686-4700.  Additional information and our blog for access to past articles is available at westtexasgardening.org. Click on "Resources."